How do I know if my rabbit is pregnant?

by Neda
(Iran - Tehran)

I have 2 rabbits. At first I thought both of them were does. Last night I saw one of them pulled fur from the other's back and sex with each other. My rabbits live in one cage so I don't know how many times have they sexed. Now what should I do?

***** Karen Sez *****
Neda, the two rabbits might be two does, as you first thought. This is because 'riding' the other rabbit is one of the ways that a dominant rabbit imposes its dominance on the other rabbit.

On the other hand, one rabbit might actually be a buck. Perhaps you can figure this out. Go to www.raising-rabbits.com/sexing-rabbits.html and follow the directions and maybe you'll be able to know for sure which gender the rabbits are.

If you have two does, the life of the submissive rabbit might be easier if the cage is bigger and you put hiding spots in the cage. Then the doe will be able to escape and hide from time to time from the dominant doe.

If one 'doe' is actually a buck, then you'll need a second cage so you can separate the two rabbits. And depending on the age of the rabbits, the doe may indeed be bred. Gestation is 31 days, but you're probably not sure from which date. You can use the 5 clues on our Pregnant Rabbit page to help you tell whether or not the rabbit is pregnant.

Were it my doe, I'd probably figure 'yes,' and put a nest box in her cage very early, like in 2 weeks from when you first noticed the breeding.